1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image forming apparatus which performs an image forming process in response to a print request from terminal equipment connected via a network in a network print system, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in a network print system, terminal equipment operated by the user and a printer are connected via a network. In such a network system, the printer performs a print process (network printing) in response to a print request from each terminal equipment unit connected via the network. Further, in the network printing, a normal print and private print are provided.
The normal print is to permit a printer which has received requests of the normal print to sequentially perform print processes. That is, the printer sequentially performs the print processes in response to normal print requests from terminal equipment operated by users. Therefore, a user who has requested a normal print by the terminal equipment forgets to fetch the print result in some cases. Further, in the case where the printer which has received the normal print request is performing another print process, the print process for the normal print request is performed after the above print processes. Therefore, there occurs a possibility that the user will erroneously take away his own print result and the other's print result together.
On the other hand, the private print is performed by causing a user who has requested the private print by the terminal equipment to go to the installation location of the printer and directly instruct the printer to start the private print. That is, the printer holds the private print request from the terminal equipment which the user operates. The printer which holds the private print request performs the private print in response to an instruction of the private print start directly from the user. In the above private print, it is assumed that the user who directly instructs the printer to start the private print is near the printer while the printer is performing the private print. Therefore, in the private print, forgetting to take the print result or carrying-away of the print result by others can be prevented and the security of the print result can be enhanced.
For example, in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2004-268535, the technique for preventing the user who requested the private print from being kept waiting by another print process when he went to the installation location of the print device is described. In Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2004-268535, the user transmits inhibition of an operation by the other user together with the request of the private print from the terminal equipment to the print device. As a result, in the print device, the private print request is held and the other user can be prevented from performing an operation.
However, in the technique of the private print described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2004-268535, the following problems occur.
(1) Another user cannot use the printer until the private print is performed instead of preventing the user who has instructed the private print from being kept waiting by the other user. That is, in a period from the time when a certain user instructs the private print for the printer until the time the user instructs execution of the private print in the printer, other users cannot use the printer.
(2) In the case where the print process of another user is performed when the private print is requested, the private print cannot be performed in the printer until the print process is terminated. That is, if a print (for example, a large amount of prints) which takes a long time is being performed when the private print is requested, the user who has requested the private print will be kept waiting for a long time until the process is terminated.